The Reporter, March, 1996

Review: London Adventures

By Giuliano Iantorno & Mario Papa, Zanichelli Editore, Bologna, 1996

This is the second video made by Mario Papa. This time together with Giuliano Iantorno for their coursebook Way Points. The video is based on the lives (and loves) of young people in London. Suitable for older teenagers, the video does however cover all basic structures normally associated with the false beginner/lower intermediate stages of language learning. It is based on the friendship between a young American visiting London (and, therefore, discovering the city and its population) and her English cousin. She meets his friends, goes to parties and generally participates in the lives of London teenagers as they take place in the city today.

London Adventures utilises – as did the first video - the technique of “Video Frames” which represent key structures and expressions already viewed in the preceding scenes. The fact that the video “freezes” for a few moments and shows the structure in its written form on the screen means that viewers have the opportunity of utilising this medium in order to practise the language item presented.

A useful complement to Iantorno and Papa’s coursebook Way Points and proof that Zanichelli – with the help of experienced ELT video producer Peter Walton and the Zanichelli editorial staff – are breaking new ground in the field of ELT materials in Italy today.